


Gardenia Petals

by hematogen



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: F/M, Hanahaki Disease, but i'll do my best, david is a dumbass, i cant really.. write romance :((, minor dadvid but its there yo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-07-01 23:23:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15784254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hematogen/pseuds/hematogen
Summary: David starts coughing up flowers and he has no idea what it means





	1. Chapter 1

David opened the door to the Mess Hall, and was greeted by the campers eating. Or, well, something like that. The kids looked pretty grossed out by the food, and while he'd never admit it out loud, David could silently agree that the food here could be better. But he wouldn't complain!

He was about to grab his own breakfast, when he suddenly fell to the ground coughing.

He could tell this wasn't any regular cough.

For starters, he wouldn't be wheezing on the ground. But that wasn't all. His lungs felt oddly stuffed. Like there was something that wasn't supposed to be there. His throat burned painfully, and his arms felt weak as he placed one on his throat and the other on his mouth.

The attention of the kids was instantly pulled from the gross food to him, and they crowded around him quickly. In front stood Max and his gang, and David thought he could spot a hint of worry in their eyes.

But the heartwarming thought was wiped from his mind as he felt something wet fall into his palm.

He quickly clenched his fist around it and stood up slowly, his arms and legs slightly shaking. The thing, whatever it was, was soft and thin. David had an idea of what it was. A flower petal, perhaps? But why would he cough that up?

He opened his fist to inspect, and was surprised to find that he was right. It was a white petal, and it glistened slightly. Perhaps he'd accidentally swallowed it? Probably.

As he dragged his eyes from the gross white blob, he realized the room was quiet. He looked at the children for a moment, before giving them an awkward laugh. "No worries. I just accidentally swallowed this petal!" He stated, showing them the aforementioned petal.

The kids looked slightly grossed out, but ultimately lost interest. And their appetite. Most returned to their seats, but now they seemed even more disgusted with the food. David couldn't exactly blame them.

He was about to go grab his meal, when he noticed Max, Neil, and Nikki still standing in front of him.

"Yes?" He asked, giving them a smile.

Max narrowed his eyes. "Don't act like you weren't just dying on the floor! How the hell did that happen?"

David blinked at him in confusion, before answering. "I told you, I just choked on this pe-"

"Bullshit!" Neil cut him off. "There's no way you choked on that shit, where'd it even come from? As far as I'm aware there's no flowers flying around here!" He yelled.

David wanted to object, but the kid made a point. There weren't many flowers around this area, especially not like the one he'd just coughed up. He simply looked at the trio, then at the petal. "What does it matter! Go and finish up your lunch!"

He ushered them away, before rushing out of the Mess Hall to find Gwen. He ran to the counselor's cabin and bust open the door. "Gwen!" He yelled.

His co-counselor dropped her book in surprise, letting out a startled yelp. "Goddamnit David what do you want?", she asked, picking up her book.

"I- uh.."

As he was running to the cabin he'd decided he would tell Gwen what had happened. But now, standing in front of her, he wasn't sure he wanted to. Or could. His arms felt sweaty, and his chest and throat hurt. Not like when he threw up the petal, no. It's like he couldn't speak. His mind felt empty with words, and he didn't know what to say 

"Is it alright if I take a day off?" He asked finally. It wasn't what he really wanted to do, but maybe that would help him clear things up.

Gwen looked at him clearly surprised. " _You_ wanna take a day off? Are you sure you're feeling okay?" She asked, putting down her book and standing up.

"W-well no, that's why I asked..", he muttered.

Gwen let out a tiny laugh "Sure. I'd say you've earned it." She gave his shoulder a quick pat before leaving the cabin.

David watched her close the door behind her, and headed away from the enterance to take a seat behind the desk.

As he began gathering his thoughts, he couldn't help but realize how sweet it was of Gwen to let him take a day off! She was such a nice friend, always supporting him, and gosh was she pretty!

He shook his head. He shouldn't really think about Gwen like that. After all, they were just friends. Co-workers! That's what they were.

He lowered his head onto the table and began picking at the wood with his nails, drawing imaginary circles.

His thoughts were interrupted when he remembered the petal. He raised his head and opened his fist, surprised to find it still sitting there, albeit by now it didn't look as fresh as it was before. He took a long look at it, before reminding himself that they had a book about flowers.

David searched through shelves and quickly found what he was looking for. Placing the petal on the table next to the book, he began going through it, his eyes scanning every page quickly, until he found a flower he decided looked familiar enough. It was called Gardenia.

Scanning through the info, David realized it would be practically impossible for this petal to just be flying around here. These flowers were from China and Japan, and the camp was nowhere near there! Then why did he cough up the petal? 

He was feeling a little frustrated. It didn't make much sense. The camp didn't order flowers from the other side of the world, and it's not like they grew here naturally.

After a few more minutes of trying to figure out what was going on, David decided to take a deep breath, put the book away, throw away the petal, and take a nap. He was certain he'd feel better once he woke up. So he flopped down on his bed and closed his eyes, and though he struggled to fall asleep at first, eventually he found himself dozing off.

* * *

 

When he woke up, he noticed the room was dark, it took his eyes a moment to adjust, but once he could see a little better, he sat up and looked to where Gwen was sleeping. She looked so calm and relaxed.

David shook his head. It was rude to watch people sleep!

He got up from his bed and snuck outside, making sure to close the door behind him softly. 

As he stood outside, im front of the cabin, he let the cool night air comfort him. He took a deep breath in, and smiled softly. He checked left and right, before walking down to the lake. The night was a little chilly, of course, but David didn't mind. It was quiet, and he didn't get that around here too often.

Of course, he loved working with the kids, but sometimes he felt a little annoyed by their constant need to yell.

He arrived at the pier. He took off his shoes and socks, set them beside himself and sat down, letting the water wash against his legs. It was warmer than David had expected, and he swung his legs back and forth softly, watching the water move. It was calming. 

But any memory of the tranquility was gone, as David found himself, once again, coughing and wheezing unnaturally. He felt his throat burn once more, and somehow it was even worse this time. But it was over as soon as it started, except this time, David found there were three petals in his palm.


	2. Chapter 2

The ceiling was dark brown, darker than the walls. The best way to describe it would be pine wood. David had never really noticed that.

As soon as he coughed up the petals by the lake, he'd ran back to the cabin and hid under the covers as if this... this sickness was something that could chase him, only stopped by a thin layer of cloth.

If only.

Eventually though he pushed his blanket down to his chest and placed his arms on top of it. He'd tried to fall asleep, but no matter how much he tossed and turned, he didn't feel tired. He pressed his eyes shut tight, but nothing changed. So eventually he gave up.

He let his mind drift off. What was he thinking about? He wasn't even sure. What he was going to do in the morning? He'd asked for a day off, so he'd have to get back to work. But perhaps Gwen would be nice enough to let him rest for one more day? Just so he could really think about this whole thing? Gosh Gwen was nice. Maybe not always, but David had known her long enough for her to show off her more admirable side. Although, when she first came to the camp, desperate for a job, even if it was temporary, she was mean, antisocial and generally unlikable. Of course David made an effort to befriend her, but she was keen on being rude.

Yet, overtime, he found himself liking her more and more. And it wasn't like she'd changed or anything, it's just that...  
He couldn't explain it. He shook his head and turned around in his bed, facing Gwen's side of the cabin. He knew it was weird and creepy, and if she found out she'd probably kick him or something. But she looked so calm when she slept, nothing like when she was dealing with the campers. She didn't look graceful, not even close. She was messy, sure, but it was satisfying in a weird way. _Is that weird? This is really weird._

He flipped over to face the wall and shut his eyes tight again, desperately trying to fall asleep one more time.

He was woken by a tap on his shoulder. David had always been a light sleeper, so it didn't take much to wake him. He turned over to see Gwen looking over him. She looked tired, her face drained and her posture poor.

"Good morning, Gwen." He said finally, seating himself upright. "Yeah, morning. Are you.. okay?" She asked, tilting her head slightly. It made David's stomach flutter, hearing that she cared. "Y-yeah. I'm fine." He promised, getting out of his bed. He stretched his arms and back, and headed for the door. He turned back to see that Gwen hadn't moved, looking uncertain. "You sure? It's fine if you take another day off, really. I'd say you've earned a break from the little shits." She said, walking towards him slowly. "Language, Gwen! David scolded, "And I'm fine, really!" He gave her a smile, and she reluctantly returned one, though she still looked concerned for her co-worker.

After the two had had their breakfast with the campers, David had enthusiastically taken over the work as usual, mostly watching over the kids and making sure they wouldn't cause too much chaos. But his mind drifted back to the flowers.

It didn't make any sense, there shouldn't be any possible way to cough up actual flower petals. Especially not fresh ones. Maybe he should drive into town? Perhaps a pharmacist could give him some advice. Or perhaps he should tell Gwen? Would she know anything about it? He knew she spent a lot of her time reading and generally staying online. Maybe she'd heard about it somehow?

He contemplated on it, considered the pros and cons, and finally decided it'd be for the best if he asked her. So he cast one more look at the kids, and once he was certain they'd be fine for a minute or so, he turned and strolled over to Gwen. As he was making his way towards her, he felt confident. He knew what he wanted to ask her, and he'd already thought through what he was going to say.

And yet, as he stopped in front of her, he found that he had a hard time saying what he wanted. He couldn't exactly understand how sentences worked suddenly, and which word went where. Gwen looked up from her magazine. "Yes?" She raised an eyebrow. David opened his mouth to speak, hoping that maybe things would work out if he just went with the flow, but he felt his chest tighten. He let out a weak cough "I'll be- I'll be right back." He knew exactly what was going to happen next, so instead of letting Gwen watch him suffer for the next ten seconds or so, he raced off, skidding to a halt behind the Mess Hall.

He panted for a second, and fell to the ground coughing. This time, his throat felt.. different. It felt worse than ever before, like it was being blocked by something. He slammed his chest, desperate to have this fit end, but he only felt worse. But all things must come to an end, and so did this. Finally, David felt his throat loosen, and his mouth full. Immediately, he spat out the petals. It was only once he stood up to wipe his mouth did he realize that what he threw up wasn't just a few petals.

It was a whole flower.

David stared at it. What would you even do in this situation? He felt his vision grow hazy and his head start spinning with everything that had just happened. He softly reached his hand to his neck and wrapped his fingers around it. He brushed it a little. It didn't hurt, not right now, anyway. The past two times he'd puked up petals his throat only hurt in the moment, and the pain was forgotten in the following seconds. It left no external marks, either, so unless someone was really into fantasy, they'd hardly believe him. He let his hand fall to his side again. 

He watched the flower for a second longer, before picking it up and turning around. All that was left to do now was go throw this away, and act as if nothing had happened. On his way to the nearest trash can, he passed Gwen. David slowed his pace. For a moment he was considering telling her. It would only be for the best, really. But he was scared. What if she thought it was gross, or weird? She seemed pretty occupied reading, anyway.

So he shook his head, straightened his back, and made his way to the trash can to dispose of the flower


End file.
